Around the Region

Published: Monday, January 21, 2002 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 21, 2002 at 12:00 a.m.

An Asheville resident was removed from a Paris fashion show Jan. 13 after jumping onto a stage and launching a protest about the killing of animals for their fur.

Kayla Worden, 41, was removed from the Gianni Versace show after she unfurled a banner saying "Fur Kills" and chanted "end fashion bloodshed."

According to a news release by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., designers promote the use of fur. The group says animals are brutally treated before being killed for their skins.

According to the release, Worden has been involved in controversy before. She has stripped to nothing but body-painted tiger stripes and crouched in cages outside of circus performances to protest the cruel treatment of animals used by circuses.

N.C. abortion rates decline dramatically

GREENSBORO ó The number of abortions performed in North Carolina has dropped 23 percent in a decade, according to the State Center for Health Statistics.

The state statistics show that 34,565 abortions were performed in 1990 compared to 26,612 in 2000, the last year for which statistics are available. There were 29,938 abortions in 1995.

Part of the drop can be attributed to the General Assembly dropping funding for the State Abortion Fund from $1.2 million to $50,000 in 1995. Lawmakers have also limited access to state-funded abortions, including those for pregnancies resulting from a rape or incest and for women who are a danger to their own lives. Access has also been limited to people who fall below the federal poverty level and are not eligible for Medicaid.

The State Abortion Fund has received $50,000 every year but has not paid for one abortion since the tighter restrictions, said John Tanner, who oversees the fund.

The unspent money is returned to the general fund and reallocated each year, he said.

Report: Shake-up in N.C. Highway Patrol

CHARLOTTE ó The state Highway Patrol will soon undergo a shake-up ordered by Gov. Mike Easley in which top officers will be forced out and replaced, The Charlotte Observer reported Saturday.

Several of the patrol's majors will be asked to retire and other officers will be promoted to take their positions, The Observer reported, citing patrol and Easley administration sources.

The patrol's commander, Col. Richard Holden, also will be asked to step aside, but not immediately, according to the newspaper.

The governor has no problems with Holden and his performance but wants to put his own imprint on the patrol, according to an official. The changes are expected to begin in the coming week, the Observer reported. Messages left seeking comment from Easley's press office were not immediately returned Saturday night. The shake-up is happening in part to try to eliminate politics and geographical divisions within the patrol, an official said. Holden, the first black patrol commander, was hired by then-Gov. Jim Hunt in 1999.

<p>Activist removed from fashion show</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>An Asheville resident was removed from a Paris fashion show Jan. 13 after jumping onto a stage and launching a protest about the killing of animals for their fur.</p><p>Kayla Worden, 41, was removed from the Gianni Versace show after she unfurled a banner saying "Fur Kills" and chanted "end fashion bloodshed."</p><p>According to a news release by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., designers promote the use of fur. The group says animals are brutally treated before being killed for their skins.</p><p>According to the release, Worden has been involved in controversy before. She has stripped to nothing but body-painted tiger stripes and crouched in cages outside of circus performances to protest the cruel treatment of animals used by circuses.</p><p>N.C. abortion rates decline dramatically</p><p>GREENSBORO ó The number of abortions performed in North Carolina has dropped 23 percent in a decade, according to the State Center for Health Statistics.</p><p>The state statistics show that 34,565 abortions were performed in 1990 compared to 26,612 in 2000, the last year for which statistics are available. There were 29,938 abortions in 1995.</p><p>Part of the drop can be attributed to the General Assembly dropping funding for the State Abortion Fund from $1.2 million to $50,000 in 1995. Lawmakers have also limited access to state-funded abortions, including those for pregnancies resulting from a rape or incest and for women who are a danger to their own lives. Access has also been limited to people who fall below the federal poverty level and are not eligible for Medicaid.</p><p>The State Abortion Fund has received $50,000 every year but has not paid for one abortion since the tighter restrictions, said John Tanner, who oversees the fund.</p><p>The unspent money is returned to the general fund and reallocated each year, he said.</p><p>Report: Shake-up in N.C. Highway Patrol</p><p>CHARLOTTE ó The state Highway Patrol will soon undergo a shake-up ordered by Gov. Mike Easley in which top officers will be forced out and replaced, The Charlotte Observer reported Saturday.</p><p>Several of the patrol's majors will be asked to retire and other officers will be promoted to take their positions, The Observer reported, citing patrol and Easley administration sources.</p><p>The patrol's commander, Col. Richard Holden, also will be asked to step aside, but not immediately, according to the newspaper.</p><p>The governor has no problems with Holden and his performance but wants to put his own imprint on the patrol, according to an official. The changes are expected to begin in the coming week, the Observer reported. Messages left seeking comment from Easley's press office were not immediately returned Saturday night. The shake-up is happening in part to try to eliminate politics and geographical divisions within the patrol, an official said. Holden, the first black patrol commander, was hired by then-Gov. Jim Hunt in 1999.</p>